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* The Glass factory. *
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#¶¤§*:«~.. Several Centuries After It Had Last ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... Stood Abandoned For A Long While. .....~«:*§
*:«~...... Finally, The Natural End Station For ......~«:*
:«~....... The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, .......~«:
«~........ And A Gift Shop. ........~«
~......... .........~
.......... There'S A Long Time Since My Family ..........
~......... Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be .........~
«~........ Considered Poor. ........~«
:«~....... .......~«:
*:«~...... There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ......~«:*
§*:«~..... Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. Practical. On The Eastern Building, ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... Some Are Shattered. ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S .....~«:*§
*:«~...... A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ......~«:*
:«~....... Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. .......~«:
«~........ Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ........~«
~......... Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of .........~
.......... Glass Of Varying Thickness. ..........
~......... .........~
«~........ ** ........~«
:«~....... ** ** .......~«:
*:«~...... ««««««« * * ««««««« ......~«:*
§*:«~..... ** ** .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... ** ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. Other Building. The Contrast Is .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No .....~«:*§
*:«~...... Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ......~«:*
:«~....... Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark .......~«:
«~........ Windows Are Missing A Pane. ........~«
~......... .........~
.......... However, The Greatest Difference Is The ..........
~......... Higher Floors: This Building Has None. .........~
«~........ It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ........~«
:«~....... Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There .......~«:
*:«~...... Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ......~«:*
§*:«~..... Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... Step The Building Starts To Glow, The .....~«:*§
*:«~...... Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ......~«:*
:«~....... Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being .......~«:
«~........ Lit From Behind. ........~«
~......... .........~
.......... I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ..........
~......... There'S Someone Else On The Staircase .........~
«~........ With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ........~«
:«~....... Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin .......~«:
*:«~...... Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ......~«:*
§*:«~..... And More Disturbingly, Completely Made .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Of Dark Liquid glass. ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. ** ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. ** ** .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. ««««««« * * ««««««« ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... ** ** ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... ** ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... .....~«:*§
*:«~...... My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ......~«:*
:«~....... Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set .......~«:
«~........ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ........~«
~......... It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. .........~
.......... It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ..........
~......... Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy .........~
«~........ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ........~«
:«~....... Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And .......~«:
*:«~...... Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ......~«:*
§*:«~..... .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... The Levers, Messing Them Up. .....~«:*§
*:«~...... Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ......~«:*
:«~....... Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The .......~«:
«~........ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ........~«
~......... .........~
.......... The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ..........
~......... White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And .........~
«~........ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ........~«
:«~....... Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That .......~«:
*:«~...... Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ......~«:*
§*:«~..... Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. Floor. .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, .....~«:*§
*:«~...... While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ......~«:*
:«~....... Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of .......~«:
«~........ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ........~«
~......... The Last Of Him Rains Down. .........~
.......... ..........
~......... I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From .........~
«~........ Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ........~«
:«~....... Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A .......~«:
*:«~...... Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ......~«:*
§*:«~..... The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... Become Still. ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. ** .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. ** ** ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... ««««««« * * ««««««« ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... ** ** ....~«:*§¤
§*:«~..... ** .....~«:*§
*:«~...... ......~«:*
:«~....... A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, .......~«:
«~........ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ........~«
~......... Back At The Factory Floor, But The .........~
.......... Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ..........
~......... Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last .........~
«~........ Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ........~«
:«~....... Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, .......~«:
*:«~...... And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ......~«:*
§*:«~..... .....~«:*§
¤§*:«~.... Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ....~«:*§¤
¶¤§*:«~... The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ...~«:*§¤¶
#¶¤§*:«~.. Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ..~«:*§¤¶#
##¶¤§*:«~. I See There'S Something Faint Inside .~«:*§¤¶##
#¶¤§*:«~.. Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ..~«:*§¤¶#
¶¤§*:«~... ...~«:*§¤¶
¤§*:«~.... I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ....~«:*§¤
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